


Take A Chance

by Miko



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Female Friendship, First Dates, Secret Identity, friendship to romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-09-15 20:49:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16940463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miko/pseuds/Miko
Summary: Sometimes leading a double life seems like more than just twice the amount of work compared to leading a single one. Marinette can't even rely on the help of her best friend to get her through it, because she can't tell Alya the truth. Of course, Cat Noir has the same problem, so why shouldn't they support each other off the battlefield as well as on it?Marinette's not quite certain how she ended up in a pact with Cat Noir to each ask out someone from their respective classes. She's even less certain how it actuallyworked. Now she finally has a chance for her dream date with Adrien... as long as Ladybug's life doesn't interfere with Marinette's, as always.





	1. Chapter 1

Being the city's superhero was _murder_ on Marinette's grades. 'I have to do homework' was her number one excuse for disappearing from her duties in her family's bakery, but rarely was any of that time actually spent on school-related efforts. She had to cram her studies into the cracks between her life as Marinette and her life as Ladybug.

Take this project, for example. Technically, she'd had a full weekend to complete it, but she'd spent most of that time chasing all over Paris after the latest evilized supervillain. So she'd been forced to stay up until the wee hours of the morning scrambling to finish it, and there was no doubt the result was mediocre at best.

By the time she crawled into her bed and turned off the lights, she was so exhausted she could hardly see straight. When Tikki hopped on her shoulder, all but vibrating, Marinette rolled over to bury her head beneath her pillow. "Not now, Tikki!"

"Cat Noir is trying to contact you," Tikki said, tone urgent. "It could be important, Marinette."

Groaning, Marinette seriously considered refusing to answer. They always got at least a day or two between villains, so surely Ladybug couldn't be needed already. Couldn't she just have a few minutes to herself, to sleep? Was being Ladybug going to take over her _entire_ life?

But for all his faults, Cat Noir wasn't likely to make a prank call, especially at this hour. If he was trying to contact her, it was because he needed help. And for her to ignore that would be against everything she stood for. "Spots on, Tikki," she mumbled into the pillow. Forget the energetic transformation. Cat Noir was going to have to take her as she was, exhaustion and all.

It felt like the change took longer than usual. After no less than seven transformations in the last two days, Tikki surely had to be as tired as she was, regardless of how much the little kwami had eaten. Finally it was complete, and Marinette flipped open her compact to answer the call. "Cat Noir, I'm here. What's going on?"

He looked every bit as weary as she felt. Though she knew his ears were only part of his costume, Marinette could swear they were drooping. "Hey, uh… I just… that is…"

The completely uncharacteristic hesitation concerned her. Pushing her bangs out of her eyes, Marinette made herself sit up properly against the pillow. "Cat? Are you okay?" This seemed like more than simple exhaustion could account for. Was he hurt? In some kind of trouble?

Sighing, Cat Noir covered his eyes with his hand, hiding his expression. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have woken you. This is stupid." The call disconnected abruptly.

Completely baffled, Marinette stared at the blank screen. "Okay, that was weird. Now I'm really concerned." She initiated her own call to him.

It beeped for nearly a minute, and she started to worry that he'd already transformed back. If so, he wouldn't be able to answer until Plagg had eaten. Just when she was about to give up, the screen cleared and his image resolved.

"Cat Noir, what's going on?" Marinette demanded.

It was amazing how sheepish he could look despite the mask hiding half his features. "Uhhhh, yeah. Sorry about that. I swear, it's nothing. Definitely nothing I should be calling you about in the middle of the night. Really, I'm sorry."

Marinette frowned. "Well, you did, so you might as well go ahead and say whatever it was." When he continued to hesitate, she deliberately softened her tone. "Cat, we're partners. I'm here for you."

Sighing, he shifted to lie sideways, and she saw the corner of a pillow. Startled, she realized he was in bed too. Figuring if he was getting comfortable, there was no reason she shouldn't do the same, she snuggled back down into her blankets.

"It's just… do you ever get frustrated with it?" He made a rude noise. "We're out there busting our butts to save everyone, and then we come back and have to do _homework_. At least, I did. Big school project."

"Me too," Marinette admitted, because that seemed safe enough. It was clear they were close to the same age, so it would be no surprise to him that she had schoolwork. Teachers were notorious for ruining students' weekends by assigning tough homework. "It's so unfair! Shouldn't we get extra credit or something?"

He chuckled, a low sound very similar to a purr. "Tell me about it. God help me if I bring home anything but perfect grades, too." He shuddered. "The last thing I need is to be grounded for a week. Can you imagine? 'Dad, please, I need to go out. Really, the fate of the city depends on it. I swear!' Yeah, like that'd fly."

"You're doing better than I am," she sighed. "I _hate_ the look my parents give me when I bring home a lousy report card. They ask if I'm doing my best, and when I say I am they pat me on the back and tell me it's okay. But I'm sure they're disappointed in me."

"Sounds like you're close to them?" His tone was wistful.

"I love them so much, and I want to make them proud so badly." Marinette was forced to wipe a tear from her eyes - of exhaustion. Really. "They've been through a lot to be together, they're like a fairy tale couple, still crazy in love after all these years. And I think they see me as an expression of that, so they love me just as much."

"You're lucky. I hope you realize that." The wistfulness had turned bleak. "I'd give anything to have that kind of life."

Marinette bit her lip, wondering what to say. He was always so cheerful and confident, it had never occurred to her that his life outside the mask might be a _bad_ one. Maybe really bad, if his tone was anything to go by. "Cat… if things are… are dangerous at home for you, there are people who can help…"

"No, no, no!" He waved that off, wide-eyed and alarmed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound that way. My dad would never lay a hand on me." In a lower voice she wasn't sure she'd been meant to hear, he muttered, "He'd have to care enough to spend five minutes in my presence for that."

Well, at least he wasn't being beaten or otherwise hurt, but that certainly didn't sound pleasant. Emotional neglect could be its own kind of abuse, and Marinette was aware of how incredibly lucky she was to have parents who loved her so much. "Are you completely alone all the time?"

"Aw, no. I've got lots of friends." He shrugged, resettling with his arms crossed behind his head, having apparently propped his baton against the pillow. "My best friend especially, he even braved my dad for me once. But… ugh, it sounds so bad if I say that he's shallow, but I can't think of another word for it. The biggest worry he has in life is whether or not he's going to pass the next test. I have to worry about that _and_ the next supervillain. Maybe if I could share that with him, have his support, it wouldn't be so bad, you know?"

"Yeah, I hear you." Marinette thought of Alya's fervent enthusiasm for all things Ladybug - and how hard it could be to dodge her friend when Marinette had to run off and save the city. What would it be like to have her help, instead? If she knew the truth, Alya would be so excited about being able to help, and would reach new heights of determination. She could cover for Marinette, misdirect people, and help her solve problems. It would be incredible.

"They're not shallow though," she protested. Then she considered Chloe, and snorted. "Okay, some of them are. But not in general. Yes, they face fewer and maybe lesser challenges than we do. But every one of them does have their own obstacles to overcome. And for them, those obstacles feel insurmountable too. My life before Ladybug seemed plenty tough to me at the time. Normal people need to have strength and perseverance, just like we do - and they don't have magic to help them."

"Huh." He considered that for a moment, brow furrowed. "Y'know, you're right. I never thought of it like that." Then he made a face, sticking his tongue out. "Still say it's unfair that we have to do the homework too."

Marinette giggled. "I won't argue. So… is this what you called for? To complain about homework?"

Once again he looked sheepish. "I told you it was dumb and I shouldn't have. But you're literally the only person in the world I can talk to about this stuff. I can't imagine doing all this alone, and why shouldn't that be off the battlefield as well as on it? That's what friends do for each other, isn't it?"

Marinette thought about it. They could never reveal their identities to each other, but it was true that nobody else could possibly understand the difficulties they faced. Why shouldn't they support each other?

"You're right, we are friends, and friends help one another." Her declaration was rewarded with a surprisingly sweet smile from him. Then she wagged a scolding finger at the screen. "And my friends will get chewed out when they call to wake me up to chat at…" She looked at her bedside clock, and yelped. "Four in the morning?"

"Sorry! I'm sorry." His apology would have sounded more sincere if he hadn't been laughing while making it. "It won't happen again. Uh, but… maybe earlier in the evening sometimes?"

"Yeah." Marinette smiled back at him. "That would be great. Now get some sleep! You have to be as exhausted as I am."

"Sleep well, milady. Dream of me!" He gave her a jaunty salute and a saucy wink.

This time when the call ended, she flipped the compact closed and snuggled back into bed. "Spots off, Tikki."

Magic flowed over her, and a moment later the little kwami curled up on the pillow next to her. "Aw, you two are cute," Tikki exclaimed. "Don't tell me you're thinking about giving up on Adrien and returning Cat Noir's affections?"

"What? No!" Blushing, Marinette hauled the blanket up to cover her face, leaving only her eyes peering out at Tikki. "As if. Cat Noir has a long way to go before he's anywhere near Adrien's level. That's no reason we can't be friends."

"Just be careful you don't break his heart," Tikki warned, but the kwami was smiling. "I am glad to see you have the support, though. He's right; it will be good for both of you."

"I'll be careful," Marinette promised around a yawn. "Just as soon as I've had some sleep." She drifted off to the sound of Tikki's soft chuckle… and the memory of Cat Noir's smile.


	2. Chapter 2

Talking to Cat Noir became a nightly ritual. It was a toss-up which of them would call the other, but they settled on somewhere around eleven as a good time. Late enough that they'd definitely be home - barring a fight against a villain - early enough that it wasn't going to make them suffer the next day from lack of sleep.

At least, that was the theory. In reality, they sometimes ended up talking for _hours_ , and Marinette was yawning her way through class worse than usual. She wasn't even sure exactly what they had to talk so much about - they still had to be careful not to mention anything that might give their identity away. Then again, so much in the life of a high schooler was universal, as long as they avoided mention of specific names, it wasn't difficult to dance around.

Cat Noir was surprisingly easy to talk to when he wasn't grandstanding or flirting. Not that he didn't do both of those things, and plenty of it. But really late at night, he tended to lose a lot of the bravado and start being honest. Marinette liked him a lot better that way.

Still not as much as Adrien, no matter what Tikki might say to tease her. But he was becoming a legitimately good friend.

Of course, Alya noticed. "Girl, _what_ have you been up to?" she demanded one day after classes were over. "You've always been bad about sleeping in and being late, or napping in class, but it's gotten a lot worse. You out all night partying and forget to invite me? Hmmm?" She leaned in close, inches away from Marinette's face.

"No, no!" Marinette waved her hands between them. "Of course not. It's, uh..." Crap, how was she supposed to explain this in a non-incriminating way? "I, um. I made a friend online. In America! So I keep staying up late to talk to him, that's all."

Alya's eyes lit up. " _Him_? Helloooo, am I your best friend or not? Why haven't I heard about this guy before now?"

"It's not like that!" Marinette protested. "He just happens to be a boy. There's nothing to tell. Just like having a pen pal."

"Since when do you speak English well enough to have a friend in America?" Alya asked, hands on her hips. She clearly smelled a rat, and she could be relentless when on the trail of a lie.

Trying not to sweat, Marinette smiled brightly. "He speaks French, he's from Quebec."

Alya narrowed her eyes, then sighed. "You're gonna fail geography if you think Quebec is in America. Really?"

"Canada is in North America." God, she was digging herself deeper and deeper. She could hear the faint sound of giggles from her purse, Tikki apparently finding the whole exchange hilarious. "Really, I didn't mention it because it's not a big deal. He's... ummm, heee's... he's also super into fashion and design! So, you know, we have that in common, and it's nice to talk to someone who understands the industry and trends. I mean, I know I can talk to you about stuff like that, but..."

"But I'm not really _into_ it," Alya finished for her, and thankfully her expression had softened to something sympathetic. "I mean I like hearing you talk about it, don't get me wrong, but it's not my thing. Just don't forget to sleep! You can't afford for your grades to get any worse."

Thankful Alya was finally buying it, Marinette nodded. "I'll do my best."

That night, she recounted the story to Cat Noir. "I feel terrible for being dishonest with her," she confessed, miserable. "It's something I've gotten used to since becoming Ladybug, but it never gets easier."

"Yeah, I hear you." Cat nodded, his green eyes dark. "I feel guilty sneaking around my best friend, too. But hey, one thing wasn't a lie - you talk to me instead of her because it's about a part of your life she can't understand. There's nothing wrong with having more than one friend, especially with different interests."

"That's true." Marinette did feel a little better. It didn't ease her guilt for lying about being Ladybug at all, but at least it was one less lie. "The problem is, now she thinks I've got a new boyfriend and I'm not telling her the details because I'm embarrassed. Tikki's been teasing me about it, too."

"Weeeelllll..." He drew the word out with a flirtatious smile and a wink. "There's an easy way to stop _that_ from being a lie."

"Oh, stop." Marinette rolled her eyes. "Don't you ever give up?"

"Nope!" The smile turned into a cheeky grin. "How would I ever get anywhere if I gave up just because there's a little speed bump?"

"A little speed bump like me not being interested in return?" she replied dryly. He mimed receiving a dagger to the heart, clutching dramatically at his chest as he convulsed as if she'd killed him. Despite her best efforts, she ended up giggling. "Cut it out! If I laugh too loud my parents will hear, and want to know what I'm doing at this hour. I'm sorry, but I already told you. My heart is taken."

That drew a rude noise from him. "You'll realize I'm better for you, eventually. We were meant to be. Anyway, how do you _manage_? I haven't even bothered trying to date, because I just know a villain will show up, and I'll either stand the poor girl up or have to run out on her early. He must be awfully tolerant about you keeping secrets and disappearing on him all the time."

"Well, uh." Flushing, Marinette floundered. "He's not. I mean. _Actually_ my boyfriend. I'd really like him to be, but I haven't... quite... gotten that far."

"Aww, you're really cute when you blush." Cat Noir sounded both delighted and fascinated. "Why not just ask him out?"

Burying her burning face in her hands, Marinette shook her head. "You say that like it's so easy. Just walk up to him and say 'Hey, I think you're really hot, wanna go to the movies?' I've tried that. Worked great! Came out something like, 'Hey, I think you wanna, I mean hot really, that movie go?' "

"C'mon." He sounded disbelieving. "You? Shy? No way. You're the most confident girl I know."

"Sure, as Ladybug." Marinette lifted her head and propped her chin on her hands. "It's different in my other life. I'm so afraid of screwing it up and losing my chance with him, I can't get anything to come out at all."

"I have a girl like that in my class." He gave his purring chuckle. "She's always tripping when I'm around - over her feet, her tongue, or both. I know she's got a huge crush on me, but it's so adorable to watch, I can't bring myself to let her off the hook."

"Ugh, you're the worst!" Marinette made a face at him. "On behalf of shy girls everywhere, stop tormenting the poor thing. I mean, it sucks that you'd break her heart, but at least she might get over it and move on. And you wouldn't be laughing behind her back about it."

God, did Adrien do that? Chills went down her spine. Was it possible he knew, and made fun of her with Nino when she wasn't around? Or worse, with _Chloe_? The girls had assured her that boys were always oblivious about things like that, but clearly Cat Noir was aware.

"Not laughing!" Cat protested. "Really, it's not like that. She's cute. Honestly, if she ever _did_ work up the nerve to ask me out, I'd probably say yes just because I'd be impressed by her courage." He sighed dramatically. "If I truly can't have you, I'd at least like a girl with some measure of your heart."

It was his usual flattery and flirting, but this time it felt like it might actually have some truth. Again, Marinette couldn't help but wonder if Adrien felt the same. Would he say yes if she displayed the courage to ask? There was no way to know.

"From what you're saying, she _has_ asked you out," she teased Cat Noir in return. "It's not her fault you couldn't make out the invitation from the middle of the stammering."

"Huh. I suppose you're right." His smile had a bemused edge to it. "I mean, I definitely know at least two of her attempts were _meant_ to be invitations, so why shouldn't that count?"

"So put her out of her misery and say 'yes' already," Marinette said. "Maybe you'll enjoy yourself enough to get over me."

"Not likely. But I guess you never know. Let's make a deal." He raised an eyebrow at her, his expression so sly he'd have been stroking his whiskers if he had any. "You ask your guy out, and I'll tell my girl she's got a date. If either of us backs out, we have to do the other one's homework for a week."

"What! I'm not doing your homework," Marinette protested. "You won't learn anything that way. Besides, you need perfect grades and I'm barely passing, remember?"

"So don't back out." He was far too pleased with himself for the idea.

"Don't tell me you're giving up on me after all?" Marinette couldn't help but feel like this had to be some kind of trick.

"Never." He shook his head, hard enough that the tips of his cat ears flapped. "My heart is eternally yours, milady. But..." He scratched at his cheek, suddenly embarrassed. "I want you to be happy, you know. Even if that's not with me."

"Cat Noir..." That might be the single sweetest thing anyone had ever said to her. Marinette bit her lip, not sure what to say in response. Usually rebuffing his flirting was easy, but this time she actually felt like she might be stomping on his heart in the process. "I want you to be happy too. Of course I do."

"So we'll both give it a shot. And eventually you'll realize he can't possibly be as good for you as I am, and I'll win in the end anyway. Sneaky cat tactics." He grinned. "Whaddya say. Deal?"

Anguished, Marinette waffled. "This isn't fair. You already know your girl likes you. I have no idea if my boy is interested. I'm taking all the risks here."

"And getting the bigger reward," he pointed out, unsympathetic. "You've got a massive crush on your guy, while I..." He sighed, and feigned a swoon. "I am doomed to live without my true love's heart, and forced to hope a pale substitute will ease the pain of my soul."

That was true. If she succeeded, she would be getting everything she'd ever wanted for her romantic life. Still she hesitated, twisting her fingers together. "But what if he says no? What if it makes things really awkward and he doesn't even want to be friends anymore? What if he tells all his friends and they laugh? What if they spread it around the _whole school_? What if...!"

"Ladybug." Unexpectedly serious, he sat up and lifted his baton so it would zoom in on his solemn expression. "If there's any possibility this guy would do that to you, then he is _not worthy_ of your affections. Only a complete jerk would treat a girl that way, whether or not he's interested in her in return. And you deserve better."

First the comment about wanting her to be happy even if it meant breaking his own heart, now this. As dramatic as he could be with his declarations of love, like the swooning a minute ago, it was moments like this that made Marinette realize he really did care deeply for her. Not to mention, he was an incredibly sweet, decent guy under all the feline playfulness. She thought about Chloe, how the girl had not only rejected Kim's Valentine, but spread a picture of his humiliation around their entire class. Adrien was _nothing_ like callous, selfish Chloe.

"You're right," she said firmly. "You're absolutely right. He would never do such a thing. All right, I'll do it!" As soon as the words left her mouth, Marinette quailed. Could she really? This was hardly the first time she'd made a vow to talk to Adrien and confess her feelings, or ask him out. Even the few times she _had_ worked up enough nerve to do it indirectly, like the birthday scarf and the Valentine poem, he hadn't realized they were from her.

Maybe she could just... put it off for a little while. It could be so hard to get Adrien alone, after all. Marinette bit her lower lip, stomach churning with nerves and apprehension.

"All right, you're on," Cat Noir said, sealing the deal before she could try to take it back. "Deadline is our call tomorrow night." The glint in his green eyes suggested he was well aware of the direction her thoughts had been heading.

Resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at him, Marinette pulled her knees to her chest and huddled in for comfort. "Then I want a clause that says the deadline only counts if I actually _see_ him tomorrow. Sometimes he misses school."

"Milady, you can have all the 'claws' you want." He winked at her as he drew out 'claws' to make the pun more obvious, and made a cat-scratch motion with one hand. Marinette couldn't help but grin, and he laughed. "Seriously, that's fair. But no avoiding him so you can claim you didn't have an opportunity!"

There went another lousy plan. Marinette huffed, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Okay. But you have to promise to actually give your girl a real chance! No stringing her along without even trying to see if you could like her more than you think."

"I promise. Just remember - if you can handle me, you can handle _any_ boy. Don't psych yourself out." He stifled an enormous yawn, hiding it badly behind one hand. Of course that made her yawn too, and he chuckled. "Bedtime for all good little bugs and kittens, I think. We'll need our beauty sleep for tomorrow. Sweet dreams, milady."

He always said that at the end of their calls, and the emphasis he put on the phrase made it clear he still meant she should dream about him. Marinette sighed, also as always, but she couldn't help but smile. "Sleep well, Cat Noir."


	3. Chapter 3

Marinette was petrified with anxiety as she walked into school the next morning. In the light of day, the promise she'd made to Cat Noir in the sleepy darkness seemed even more idiotic and likely to backfire than it had at the time. Considering she'd been reluctant even then, that was saying something.

What was she supposed to do? March up to Adrien and do yet another imitation of a girl being strangled? Slip one more note into his bag that she would later realize she'd forgotten to sign? It was like her subconscious had it out for her, and wanted to make it as difficult as possible for her to confess her feelings.

Now that there were actually consequences for failing to follow through, the whole prospect of talking to him became much, _much_ scarier. Marinette was already sweating, and she feared she'd be an absolute nervous wreck by the time she actually saw him.

"Marinette!"

A hand landed on her shoulder. Marinette yelped, leapt what felt like three feet in the air, and spun to put her back to the nearest wall, hands up in a defensive pose. Then she felt like an idiot, because it was only Alya standing there, looking at her like she'd lost her mind. Seeing that she had Marinette's attention, Alya shook her head. "I'd ask exactly how much coffee you've had this morning, except you started out in such a zombie daze I had to call you four times. Are you sick?"

"No. Yes. No." Clenching a hand in her bangs, Marinette tugged at the hair, hoping the small pain would help ground her. "Ugh, maybe. Sick to my stomach, anyway, but not ill."

"What's going on?" Alya fell into step beside her as they made their way up the school's front steps. "Even for you, this is extreme. Did you run into Adrien and have another failed attempt to ask him out, and now you're feeling embarrassed?"

"Not yet. Give it a few minutes." Marinette could see him up ahead, leaning casually against the wall outside their classroom, chatting with Nino. Even when he wasn't in a photoshoot, Adrien always seemed to be posing, turning so the light fell on him just right, in that oh-so-casual posture that models made look so easy but was almost impossible to achieve in reality. It was like he'd spent so much of his life with a camera on him, he automatically prepared for the shot even if there wasn't one being taken.

Or maybe that was just her crush talking, because he always looked _so_ good to her.

"Helloooo, earth to Marinette!" Alya snapped her back to reality. Blushing, Marinette lifted her backpack to hide her face, hoping Adrien hadn't been looking this way to see her drooling. Alya giggled. "I get it. You're _about_ to make another attempt to ask him out. You know I'm cheering you on, always, but what caused this surge of sudden courage?"

"I, uh. Kind of made a deal with my, er, penpal," Marinette stammered. "I have to ask Adrien out before tonight, or do my friend's homework for a week."

Alya made a rude noise. "Like I've never tried daring you. Or even having consequences if you chickened out."

"This isn't a dare, it's more like a pact," Marinette explained. "He has to ask out a girl in his class, too. If he keeps his end of the bargain, and I don't, well, that's not fair at all."

"Oooh. Smart boy." Alya rubbed her hands together, delighted. "I didn't think of that tactic. You can't say no to _anybody_ , and you hate letting people down, so now you _have_ to do it." Nodding, she put her hands on Marinette's shoulders, and pushed her in Adrien's direction. "Go get 'im! You can do it!"

Staggering forward, trying desperately not to trip, Marinette stumbled to a stop only a few feet from Adrien. Then she promptly froze, in an awkward, bent-over position, staring up at him like a deer in headlights.

He smiled back at her, as easy and casual as if girls turned into twisted statues around him all the time. Well, they probably did. He _was_ a famous model. "Hey, Marinette. How's it going?"

Even though they'd been in the same class for months now, it always gave her a little thrill when he knew her name. That gave her the courage to straighten out, trying to look nonchalant. "H-hey, Adrien. I, um. Er. W-would you..." Nino cocked his head, obviously curious, and Marinette froze again. She really, really did not want to do this with a witness.

Thankfully Alya swept in to the rescue, catching Nino by the arm and hauling him physically toward the classroom. "Nino! Just the guy I wanted to see. I have a question about our music appreciation homework..."

Once the other two were out of sight, Marinette returned her attention to Adrien. He was smiling at her, a softer version of the world-class smile that made so many girls sigh over his photos. In fact, he almost looked... encouraging?

No, she was imagining that because of what Cat Noir had said last night, that he was waiting for his girl to pluck up the courage to actually say something. But this was still the farthest Marinette had ever gotten in an attempt to ask Adrien for a date. "You would like, that is, _would_ you like, to... to... um..." Drawing a deep breath, she thought hard about Cat Noir and her promise, and blurted the rest out as fast as she could. "Wouldyougotothemovieswithme? On a date? A _date_ date, not a friend date. Definitely not an appointment date. I mean it could be any kind of date you want, but I'd really like a date date. Oh god, please stop me, I'm making an idiot of myself and I can't shut up."

Apparently, once she finally managed to get any words out at all, it meant she would then run on at the mouth endlessly. Blushing so hard her ears felt hot, Marinette brought her bag up again and hid behind it, pressing her mouth to the canvas so she'd _have_ to stop.

Adrien put a hand on top of the bag and gently tugged it back down again, until he could meet her eyes. He was still smiling, even wider now, but... not like he was _laughing_ at her, which was what she'd expected. More like... like he was happy with her?

"I would love to go to the movies on a _date_ date with you, Marinette." His smile kept growing, utterly brilliant now. "I thought you'd never actually find the courage to ask, but I'm glad you did."

"Wh-what?" She stared over the bag at him, not quite willing to lower it, still half convinced he was teasing her. But he seemed sincere, and she stood by what she'd told Cat Noir, he _wasn't_ the type of mean boy who would string her along to make fun of her. "You... you knew? All this time?"

Apparently Cat Noir wasn't the only one who'd noticed his shy girl's crush, after all. Now Marinette really felt like an idiot.

Or rather, she would have, except she'd never seen Adrien smile like _that_ and it was aimed at her. Entirely at her. Nothing else could hope to penetrate the giddiness she felt as a result.

"Yeah, sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck, apparently sheepish. "I admit, at first I was just letting you down easy by ignoring it. But you know, you kept trying, and you never gave up, and it kind of won me over. Not to mention all the amazing things you've done for me over the last year. You're actually a really cool person, Marinette."

"I. You. Wow." Marinette couldn't get more than one word out at a time, and those didn't even make sense on their own. Her tongue felt like it was literally tied. "That's. Ummmm. You too!" Oh god, could she seriously get any more pathetic?

He chuckled. "It's a good thing we actually _have_ had real conversations before, or I'd be worried. You gonna be okay?"

Okay? _Okay_? She could dance on the moon right now, she was flying so high. This had to be a dream. Dazed, she nodded, unable to get any further words out.

"Then, I'll see you tonight? How about at six, so we can have dinner first?" He cocked his head. She managed to nod again, and he patted her on the shoulder. "I'll pick you up at your place. Excuse me. I have to, er, use the restroom before class."

Once again she nodded, not even entirely sure what she was agreeing to this time. Still stunned at her completely unexpected success, she stood there grinning at the wall like a fool.

Thankfully Alya popped her head out and spotted her there, or Marinette might have missed class entirely. Her best friend's eyes widened when she saw Marinette's expression, and she gasped. "No way. No _way_! Oh my god, did you actually do it this time? _What did he say_?"

"He said yes." Saying the words made it start to sink in, and Marinette did a little dance on the spot, too excited to contain her energy. "He said _yes_. Alya, I can't believe it, _he said yes_!"

Grabbing her hands, Alya danced with her, both of them bouncing up and down with glee. "Tell me _everything_ ," Alya demanded, only to have the bell ring a moment later. "Ugh, no! Worst timing ever. All right, at lunch. I want every detail!" Alya dragged her into the classroom, which was just as well, because Marinette was still too dazed to find her own way.

She didn't hear a single word of her morning classes. Whiling away the school hours staring dreamily at the back of Adrien's head was hardly a new activity for her, but this time Marinette's heart kept squeezing with glee and disbelief, instead of fear and nervousness. In her head, she repeated it over and over, trying to make it feel real. _He said yes_.

It was probably just as well that Nino hauled Adrien off the moment the bell rang for lunch, because Marinette had no idea what she would have said to him if he'd tried to talk to her then. He did manage to toss a grin and a wink over his shoulder at her, and she clasped her hands against her chest as if she could hold the expression in her heart.

Chloe was glowering at her, obviously suspecting there was something going on, but there was a knot of people between her and Marinette. Taking the opportunity, Marinette made her escape, all but running for the door. "I'll tell you everything," she promised Alya as they hurried out. "But I have to, uh, use the ladies' room first."

Alya narrowed her eyes and shook a finger at Marinette. "Don't you _dare_ disappear on me like you always do. I want all the deets!" She paused, then added slyly, "Unless you're disappearing to go make out with Adrien, that is."

"What? No! O-of course not!" Marinette stared at her, wide-eyed. "We haven't even been on a date yet!"

"Aww, you are so cute sometimes." Laughing, Alya patted her on the shoulder. "All right. Bathroom, then meet me out front and we'll go to that little cafe you like. My treat, as a reward for finally going through with it!"

"I'll be _right_ back," Marinette swore, and darted toward the girl's bathroom. Once out of sight, however, she took a quick detour up to the roof. The bathroom would be busy right now, and she needed a moment of privacy. A quick check around the isolated area to be sure there was nobody else up here, and she flipped open her purse. "Tikki, spots on!"

Giggling, the kwami flew up into her earrings, and the transformation began. As soon as it was finished, Marinette grabbed her compact and flipped it open, hands shaking. Cat Noir would be unlikely to answer if she called, presumably busy with his own school and friends, but she could send him a text message.

Apparently he'd had the same idea, because when she opened the lid she saw a blinking line of text already waiting for her, sent earlier that morning. _:Mission accomplished!:_

So he'd kept his end of the bargain. Grinning, Marinette typed back. _:He said yes! Score two for the shy girls! <3:_

To her surprise, an answer came back immediately. He must have run off to change as soon as his lunch started, too, checking to see if she'd answered. _: <3 <3 <3 Good luck! You can do it. Gtg, talk tonight - might be late:_

 _:Have fun! Give her a real chance!:_ she replied, assuming he was warning her that his date was tonight too, and so he might not be back in time for their usual check-in. Still giddy, she snapped the compact closed.

This was going to be the best night of her entire life.


	4. Chapter 4

It wasn't until she threw open the doors of her wardrobe that Marinette realized she had a very, very big problem. "Oh my gosh," she gasped, staring at the row of hanging dresses and shirts in dismay. "Tikki, what am I going to _wear_? I didn't ask where we're going! He's rich, what if he takes me some place really fancy and my dress isn't nice enough and they turn us away and I totally embarrass him? What if I dress up and then all he wanted to do was grab some burgers and I look like an idiot and totally embarrass him?"

"I'm sure we can find something that's a happy medium," Tikki said, flying up to perch on her shoulder. Though her words were encouraging, the little kwami didn't sound any more certain of that than Marinette felt. Her signature style was semi-casual with the occasional extra flair, but she wanted to knock Adrien's socks off.

They both stared at the clothing as though something would pop off its hangar and announce 'Here I am! I'm perfect!' Sadly, Ladybug's magic did not appear to extend to fixing Marinette's clothing problems.

Footsteps pounded up the stairs. Tikki squeaked and dove for Marinett's pocket, and a moment later the bedroom door burst open to reveal Alya. "Aha!" she declared, pointing at Marinette. "I knew it!"

"H-huh? Knew what?" Marinette clutched at the hem of her shirt. Had Alya seen Tikki before the kwami got out of sight?

"Knew you'd be standing there wringing your hands," Alya said, and Marinette tried to hide her sigh of relief. "Well don't worry, girl, because your BFF's got you covered. Ta-dah!"

She whipped her hand out from behind her back, revealing a rolled up bundle of fabric. It unfurled into a tea-length red dress with a full skirt and a strappy sleeveless bodice like a sundress. When Marinette looked closer she realized the skirt was actually layers and layers of fabric shaped like tulip petals. Soft black lace edged the shoulder straps, neckline, and petals. It was flirty and fun, could pass for a dressy casual look or a casual dressy look.

 _Exactly_ what Marinette needed - and in Ladybug's signature colours, to boot. "Oh my _gosh_ Alya! Where on earth did you get that?"

"Do _not_ ask." Alya rolled her eyes and flopped dramatically onto the bed, laying the dress out beside her. "The things I do for you, honestly. You owe me for this one!"

"Big time," Marinette agreed fervently, picking up the dress. The fabric was soft rayon rather than satin or velvet, which helped keep it from looking _too_ fancy, but it draped like a dream. Hastily shucking her school clothes, Marinette pulled the dress on and turned her back so Alya could do up the zipper. The petals swished around her legs, and it turned out there was a foundation skirt that was one piece, so there was no danger of her flashing an inappropriate amount of leg.

It fit perfectly. Marinette started to turn toward the mirror, but Alya hauled her back. "Oh, no no no," her friend scolded. "Not yet. Please tell me you weren't planning to go out with your hair like that."

"Um." Marinette reached up and tugged at one of her pigtails. In her panic over the dress problem, she hadn't even gotten as far as thinking about her hair. "Crap, I need shoes, too. I think I have some strappy black sandals that will work. Makeup!"

"Already ahead of you." Grinning, Alya pulled a makeup pouch out of her messenger back, shaking it to rattle the contents. "Let's get to work."

Twenty minutes later, she finally let Marinette look in the mirror. Marinette gasped at the sight of her reflection. Her hair was mostly down, but tucked up on one side above her ear with a pink lotus hairpin that Alya dug out of Marinette's jewellery box. Her constant pigtails left soft waves in the shoulder-length strands, and it looked as if she'd spent an hour curling it. Alya had brushed it until it shone like a black silk waterfall.

The makeup was understated, but effective. Her blue eyes looked even bigger than usual, the colour startling against her mascara darkened lashes. A hint of blush and a dash of lip gloss brought peach and pink to her cheeks and lips, in just the right shades to complement the dress. Even Marinette's ever present red earrings - devoid of spots until Tikki transformed them - were exactly what she needed.

"Alya..." Marinette's eyes watered. "It's perfect. I look beautiful. Thank you!"

"Don't cry!" Alya exclaimed, dismayed. She rummaged quickly for a tissue, then pressed the edge beneath Marinette's eyes to soak up the tears. "That stuff's _supposed_ to be waterproof, but you can't trust it. There." Stepping back, she gave Marinette a deliberate once over, then two thumbs up. "Adrien won't know what hit him."

Marinette hugged her friend tight. "You're the best friend in all the world."

"You're darn right." Alya squeezed her back, her embrace warm and comforting and familiar. "You're gonna knock him dead, sweetie."

"Ahhhh I can't believe this is real!" Pulling back, Marinette clasped her hands tight to her chest, to stop herself from rubbing at her face and ruining the makeup. "It all happened so fast. I'm not dreaming, am I? Please tell me I'm not dreaming."

Part of her wished she could call Cat Noir and check in with him, make sure things were going well on his end, too - and gain courage from him. But she couldn't do that with Alya there. If she had to chose between them in that moment, Marinette was much happier to have Alya. Cat Noir wouldn't have had a clue how to help her with getting ready.

And he couldn't possibly understand _how_ big a deal this was for Marinette. Alya did, because her best friend had been right there at her side all this time Marinette had been hopelessly crushing on Adrien.

"Now," Alya said, hands on her hips. "Let's walk through this. What are you going to say when he arrives to pick you up?"

"I, um, errr..." Marinette floundered.

Sighing, Alya shook her head. "Yeah, it'll probably sound pretty much like that. Practice with me, now. 'Hi, Adrien! You look really nice!' "

"That sounds so lame," Marinette said, rubbing her hands over her upper arms. It surely hadn't gotten any colder in here, but gooseflesh was rising as nerves began to set in. "If I practice, it'll _sound_ practiced."

"Which would you rather? Stilted and practiced, or stammering and incomprehensible?" Alya raised an eyebrow.

Whimpering Marinette sank down on the bed. "What was I thinking? I'm going to make a complete fool of myself. He'll _hate_ me."

"Hey, hey!" Sitting next to her, Alya took Marinette by the shoulders and shook her gently. "Don't you dare fall apart on me. This is your _dream date_. You are absolutely not allowed to back out, so suck it up and find your spine. _You can do this_."

"I can do this," Marinette repeated. "I can do this. I can..."

There was a knock on the trapdoor that led to the rest of the building. "Marinette?" her mother called. "Someone's here to see you."

"I can't do this!" Marinette exclaimed, courage failing her utterly.

"Yes you can, and now you have to, because he's _here_." Alya's tone brooked no argument, and she grabbed Marinette by the hands and hauled her up off the bed. "Go out there, and show him who the real Marinette is. Take the chance!"

Drawing a couple of deep breaths - she might possibly be on the edge of hyperventilating, actually - Marinette gave her best friend a shaky nod. "Just... try to keep my parents from hanging all over us, please? As soon as they realize this is my first date..."

"I'll take care of them," Alya assured her. "Stop stalling and go!"

Praying she wasn't about to make the biggest mistake of her life, Marinette went.

Adrien was downstairs in the shop, chatting with her parents, nibbling on a cookie her father must have given him. He was wearing a dressy-casual jacket and button-down shirt with slacks, and Marinette heaved an internal sigh of relief. The petal dress was a perfect match. Then she sighed again, out loud this time, as she realized how incredibly dreamy he looked in the clothes.

Of course, he looked dreamy in absolutely anything. The boy could wear a flour sack and he would still be photoshoot-worthy.

His gaze met hers, and Adrien started to smile - then froze halfway into the expression. His eyes went wide, like he was startled, maybe even shocked. Panic set in all over again as Marinette tried to figure out what he was reacting to. Did she look that bad? Was the dress wrong after all? Had she somehow gotten something on her face or ruined her makeup between her room and the shop?

Then he blinked, and finished the smile, though there was a bemused quality to it. "Wow, Marinette. You look _fantastic_. Don't let my photographer see you like that, or you'll end up with the same crazy modelling schedule I'm stuck with."

"I... that's... I didn't... you're really... Alya..." And there went the stammering. Maybe she should have practiced a few lines with Alya after all. Swallowing hard, Marinette tried again, using the script her friend had given her. "Hi, Adrien! You really nice look. I mean, look nice really. I mean...!" She was digging herself deeper and deeper.

Thankfully, though his smile grew more amused, he didn't actually laugh at her. "Thanks," he said, as casually as if she'd managed to make the compliment coherent. He seemed to have recovered from his shock. Marinette wished it was as easy for her.

She cast a glance over her shoulder. As promised, Alya had cornered Marinette's parents, asking them about some cooking technique. Her mom and dad kept throwing delighted looks her way, and Marinette was pretty sure they were itching to pounce on Adrien now that they'd realized this was a date and not just a friend coming to visit. Thankfully, they were too polite to be outright rude to Alya.

"We should go," Marinette said, grabbing Adrien by the elbow and towing him toward the door. "We wouldn't want to be late!" Under her breath, she told him, "My parents will demand to take a _million pictures_ if we give them a chance. And my dad will probably give you a shovel talk."

The mention of pictures hadn't fazed him, but the shovel talk made him nervous. "Ah, right. We wouldn't want to miss our reservation." Smiling again, he shifted his arm so she was holding onto him more like he was escorting her than she was dragging him, and opened the door for her. "After you, milady."

Of course her mind went immediately to Cat Noir. That was his favourite endearment for her, largely because for him it was a pun. Adrien couldn't know that, but it made her giggle softly. That in turn helped her settle her nerves a tiny bit. Cat Noir had said it himself - if she could handle him, she could handle anybody. Marinette just had to try to talk to Adrien the way she talked to Cat Noir, and she'd be fine.

Well, maybe not _quite_ the same as she spoke to Cat Noir. Usually she was trying to deflate his ego a bit, and discourage him from flirting with her. With Adrien, she wanted to do exactly the opposite. Then again, it wasn't like she'd ever _succeeded_ in discouraging Cat, and from what he'd said, her attitude had only provoked further interest. Maybe that _was_ what she needed to do with Adrien.

So after he handed her into his family's limo, Marinette fixed her gaze on the seat in front of her, rather than looking at him, and pretended with all her might that Cat Noir was sitting there and he was the one she was talking to. "S-sorry about that. My parents are _so_ nosy. We wouldn't have just missed dinner, we'd have missed the movie, too."

There. Other than a little stutter at the start, that had been _much_ better. She could do this.

"That's okay." From the corner of her eyes, Marinette saw Adrien smile. He really had the most beautiful smile on Earth. "At least they care. You're lucky."

"I am." Smiling down into her lap, Marinette twisted her fingers together. The whole class knew Adrien's father was stern and unyielding, but she had an even better idea of how bad it was than most, thanks to Ladybug's interactions with Adrien and his family. "I, uh, made a friend recently who said something similar."

"I really make you nervous, don't I?"

To her shock, Adrien reached out and placed his fingers over hers, stopping the twisting motion. He wasn't _quite_ holding her hand, but the close contact had Marinette holding her breath, afraid to move. "I... that... you..." So much for pretending to talk to Cat Noir.

"You know, we have had a few casual conversations, and we definitely have things in common." Adrien sounded amused, and when she snuck a glance she saw laughter in his eyes, but it wasn't mocking. "You still kick my butt at video games, for one thing. I promise, I don't bite... and I'm not going to make fun of you, or be embarrassed by you, or go telling stories behind your back."

Astonished, she forgot to be shy as she turned to face him. "How did you know those were the things I'm worried about? You've never been shy a day in your life, I bet."

"Well, no." Now he did laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "I, er, also have a friend who gave me a bit of insight into what kinds of things might be going through your head right now. So, how about you just relax and we'll hang out? No big deal."

"No big deal," Marinette echoed, nodding. As if it would be that simple.

Or maybe it actually would be. Knowing that he was aware of her fears and had promised none of them would come to pass _was_ helping Marinette relax, a little. She was able to give him a smile that was less nervous and more genuine. "Here's to a fun night out."


	5. Chapter 5

Once she got past the initial bout of nerves and settled down a bit, Marinette found it wasn't so hard to keep a leash on her shyness. She continued to pretend she was talking to Cat Noir, and it got easier as she went, to the point that she was able to look straight at Adrien and still manage coherent sentences.

It turned out he could be pretty funny, when he put his mind to it. And definitely charming. Marinette's nerves continued to steady, and the more she watched him smile at her from across the table, the harder she fell in love with him. Smart, gorgeous, _and_  friendly enough to set a shy girl at ease. What more could anyone possibly ask for?

They were just finishing up the main course, and Marinette was in stitches of laughter as he told a story about a time he'd faceplanted into a fountain during a photoshoot, when he stopped talking mid-sentence. Adrien stared over her shoulder for a moment, and then winced. "Oh, crap."

Startled, Marinette turned to look, and saw that someone had a TV on in the corner by the bar section. It had probably been playing sports, but now there was an urgent news bulletin. Manon's mother was on screen, gesturing at something behind her, and somebody turned up the sound so the whole restaurant could hear. "…dissolving everything that could be considered 'artwork' as she goes, right down to graffiti and t-shirt logos. The villain, who calls herself Turpentine, is headed straight for the Louvre."

Her heart sank, and her stomach with it. Cat Noir had once said that he never bothered going on dates because there was too high a chance it would be interrupted halfway through, and it looked like he was right. Marinette couldn't just dash off and leave Adrien sitting there without him wondering where on earth she'd disappeared to for so long.

Adrien heaved a sigh. "It never ends, does it? Good thing Ladybug is around to save us."

"And Cat Noir," Marinette agreed with a nervous laugh. Hopefully Cat Noir would be able to handle the akumatized villain for a while, but he absolutely wouldn't be able to end the threat without her there to help.

Jumping as if startled, Adrien dug in his pocket and pulled out his phone. "Oh no, it's my dad. Marinette, I'm sorry, I _have_ to take this." He stood up and turned toward the outside door, then paused. "Um, it might take a few minutes… if he gets interrupted by something more important, he'll put me on hold for a while, and he expects me to still be there when he's ready for me."

Marinette couldn't imagine either of her parents ever doing such a thing to her. Being interrupted mid call, yes, but they wouldn't leave her hanging endlessly and expect her to put her life on hold for them. She had a sneaking suspicion that Adrien's father probably considered a lot of things 'more important' than his son.

As much as she hated it for Adrien's sake, Marinette was grateful for the opportunity. "Take your time," she said, smiling at him as she tried to hide her relief. "It'll give me a chance to digest all this before dessert, and we've still got more than an hour before the movie."

"Thanks for understanding." He flashed her his brilliant smile, though she sensed a note of strain beneath that was completely understandable. Then he shocked her all over again by brushing his fingers over her cheek in a brief caress. "You're the best. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Stunned motionless by the affectionate touch, Marinette sat in her seat, staring at the now empty spot across the table. Slowly her hand crept up to press against the spot where he'd caressed her. "He… he touched me," she murmured, unable to believe it. "Oh my gosh, he touched me! First my hand, and now this… I may never bathe again."

"I wouldn't recommend that," Tikki chirped, popping her head up from inside Marinette's purse. The table would hide the kwami from anyone else in the restaurant. "You'd get awfully stinky pretty quick, and then he won't want to touch you at all. But Marinette, don't you think you have something more important to worry about right now?"

A crash came from the TV speakers, loud enough to reach all the way across the restaurant, followed by muffled screaming. Looking over her shoulder again, Marinette winced when she saw the Louvre's skylight had been destroyed and the villainess was descending inside. "Right. Better take the chance while I have it, and thank my lucky stars."

Bolting up out of her chair, she caught the attention of one of the waiters. "Excuse me, is there a back way out of here?"

He blinked and looked startled, but nodded. "Yes, it's at the end of the hallway past the lavatories."

"Perfect. Thank you." Marinette hurried as quickly as she could without running. The door at the end of the hall had a push bar across it, and it was clearly an emergency exit. When she burst through it, she found herself in an alley that reeked of garbage. Not the most appealing place in the world, but perfect for what she needed. "Tikki, spots on!"

The transformation rushed through her, and the moment it was finished, Marinette threw her magic yo-yo to the roof and swung up on top. From there it was easy to run and jump her way toward the Louvre, keeping a sharp eye out as she went.

Halfway there she caught up to Cat Noir, also bouncing his way from building to building along the skyline. "Milady," he greeted her with his usual cheeky grin - but there was a distinct note of frustration beneath his charm. "What'd I tell you? I go on a date, and evil shows up. I don't know why I bother trying sometimes."

"You too, huh?" She gave him a sympathetic smile of her own. "And it was going so well. Let's take care of this fast, so we can get back before they think we've stood them up. Good thing neither of us has anything that could be considered artwork as part of our costume, or we might end up flashing all of Paris on national TV."

"Milady, you _are_ a work of art," he flirted. Was it her imagination, or was there less eager enthusiasm in the words than usual?

She arched an eyebrow at him. "Cat Noir, are you _enjoying_ your date enough that you'd rather get back to her than fight with me? I could handle it by myself, you know."

To her further delight, he actually blushed. "I'm always happy to spend time with you, LB," he assured her. "Buuuut… yeah, actually, now that she's getting less nervous, I'm having a good time. Guess you were right and I should give her a chance. So let's work together to make sure we _both_ get back before our dates give up on us."

"Deal," she agreed with a grin.

Thankfully, Turpentine didn't provide them with much of a challenge in the end. She turned out to be a frustrated artist who'd been told her work was derivative and 'copying' the old masters; she'd decided to destroy all other artwork so hers was the only thing left and everyone had to copy _her_.

Marinette wondered if Hawkmoth somehow knew that she and Cat Noir _really_ hadn't wanted their evenings to be interrupted. This villain was distinctly sub-par, as if Hawkmoth had grabbed the first opportunity to come along.

She certainly wasn't complaining, not when it meant they dealt with the problem in less than ten minutes total. Instead of sticking around to reassure the victims and smile at the press to encourage the city, this time she and Cat Noir bugged out as quickly as possible.

Since they'd met up coming from the same direction in the city, Marinette wasn't surprised when she and Cat Noir headed out in the same direction as well. She _was_ surprised when street after street passed below them, and he showed no signs of peeling off. "Don't tell me you're following me back to the restaurant to get a look at your competition," she teased him.

"Here I was going to ask if you'd decided to stalk me and ensure the girl's worthy of me," he replied with a wink. "There's a lot of nice restaurants in this area, so I guess your boy at least has good taste."

"He has _excellent_ taste," Marinette replied, fighting to keep a particularly dreamy smile off her face at the thought of Adrien. There was no reason to rub Cat Noir's nose in the fact that he'd lost the battle for her heart before it even started.

Except when she came to a landing on the rooftop of the restaurant she'd left Adrien in, Cat Noir landed right behind her… and didn't keep going.

They stood there staring at each other for a long moment. Marinette heard the warning beep of her last spot, ready to fade, and it was followed a moment later by the beep of his last pad about to disappear. "Um. This is where I get off," she said, her heart beating double time. This couldn't be what it seemed like. It was impossible.

No way was her sweet, sophisticated Adrien also brash, cheeky Cat Noir. No _way_ had she been casually ribbing and teasing her dream crush all this time.

Right?

"This is a heck of a coincidence," Cat Noir said, speaking slowly as if he didn't believe it could be true, either. "Was there even anyone else in the restaurant our age?"

"There… there must have been." Marinette was panicking. She was about to transform, and she had to get out of sight before that happened. But she also couldn't go back into the restaurant before she transformed. And even if she did manage that somehow, she and Cat Noir were going to discover each other's identities anyway, because they would see each other downstairs.

Possibly across the same table. Come to think of it, Adrien had left with the excuse of his father's phone call immediately after they'd seen the news broadcast about Turpentine. Could it really be?

Feeling the first tingles of the transformation starting at her toes, Marinette turned away, burying her face in her hands to hide it. If he _wasn't_ Adrien, she couldn't let Cat Noir see her. Maybe she could call Adrien, get him to meet her outside so that she and Cat Noir wouldn't see each other in the restaurant…

"Marinette?"

From behind, without looking, Marinette realized she couldn't tell from his voice whether it was Cat Noir or Adrien speaking. He _knew her name_. Heart in her throat, Marinette dared to peek back over her shoulder.

Adrien stood where Cat Noir had been a moment before, looking as stunned as she felt. When he glimpsed her face, his eyes lit with wonder - and rue. "Here I thought maybe I'd finally met a girl who could help me get over the heartbreak of Ladybug not loving me," he said, his usual - _Cat Noir's_ usual - cheeky tone softened by affection. "But I'm glad it happened this way. Now I know I like both sides of you - and you know it, too."

That did make a huge difference, Marinette realized. If Cat Noir had discovered her identity and _then_ Adrien had asked her out as a result, she'd have wondered forever if he really was interested in _her_ , or only Ladybug. "Well, this will make it a lot easier for me to talk to you," she admitted with a rueful smile of her own. "I've been pretending you were Cat Noir all night, so I could get coherent sentences out."

That startled him into a delighted laugh. Adrien stepped forward and caught both her hands in his. His fingers were strong and solid, but his grip was gentle and tender. When he further closed the distance between them so they were inches apart, she could feel the warmth of his body and it made her lightheaded and breathless.

Then again, that was always the effect Adrien had on her.

"I guess that's it, then." Adrien's smile was sly. "Fated to be together, just like I always said, milady. I knew I'd win your heart someday. I just didn't realize I already had it."

He was going to kiss her. Marinette was sure of it. _Adrien was going to kiss her._

No… _she_ was going to kiss _him_. Because no way was she allowing Cat Noir to think he suddenly had the upper hand in their partnership. Surging forward before she could think better of the action, Marinette pressed her lips to his.

Adrien made a surprised noise, then kissed her back. It was nothing like the single kiss they'd shared in the past, when he'd been turned against her by a villain's powers and she'd had to use 'true love's kiss' to turn him back. This was warm and eager and passionate, the soft glide of lips against lips making her shiver. He parted his mouth and slid his tongue along her bottom lip, something that had always sounded kind of gross when she'd read about it but suddenly became everything she'd ever wanted.

Shivering beneath his touch, Marinette opened her mouth as well and let him inside. She met his tongue with hers, battling for dominance, and wow, that was even _better_. Somehow her arms ended up wound around his neck, and his around her waist, allowing them to press together.

When they broke the kiss, Marinette was panting for air. So was Adrien, she realized with a hint of smugness. This definitely wasn't a one-sided crush anymore. For either of them.

"You know, traditionally you're supposed to wait for the _end_ of the first date before you kiss the girl," Marinette teased him.

"If you think about it, all those battles together _could_ be considered dates," he replied winking at her. The gleam in his eyes was unmistakably Cat Noir - some of Adrien's eternal sweetness must have been a mask for his true nature, just like Marinette's shyness tended to hide Ladybug's confidence.

"Well, this one's not over yet," she replied, placing a finger over his lips when he leaned in to kiss her again. "I want dessert more than ever after all that running around, and I think Tikki and Plagg deserve a treat, too." There was a muffled cheer from both her purse and Adrien's jacket pocket, and the two kwami poked their heads out a moment later.

"It's about _time_ ," Plagg complained, rolling his eyes much the same way Cat Noir did when he was exasperated. "Honestly, I don't know how much harder we could have worked to throw you two together."

"They're both very stubborn," Tikki giggled. "But then again, isn't that part of why we chose them?"

Astonished at the notion that their kwami had been playing matchmaker, Marinette stared first at Plagg, then at Tikki. "Wait, you knew that Adrien was Cat Noir? Why didn't you say something?"

"We're not allowed. But I knew you'd work up the courage to ask him out eventually," Tikki replied cheerfully. "And I knew he wouldn't be able to resist once you did."

"I can't even count the number of times I pushed him to find out your identity," Plagg said, crossing his tiny arms. "But noooo, he had to be all noble and self-sacrificing and listen when you told him he couldn't know the truth."

"Plagg!" Adrien was blushing again. "You don't have to tell her _everything_."

"Oh, no. I'm fascinated," Marinette laughed. "Tell me more, Plagg."

"I could probably be persuaded to spill all the beans." Plagg winked at her. "But didn't you say something about a treat, first?"

"Right!" Looking around the rooftop, Marinette hesitated. There was no sign of a fire escape down to the ground, or a doorway into the building. This rooftop apparently wasn't meant to be accessible to people from within… and that meant there was no easy way down. "Um. How exactly are we going to get back down as Adrien and Marinette instead of Cat Noir and Ladybug?"

Eyes wide, Adrien looked around too, and came to the same conclusion she had. "Oops."

Heaving a great, put-upon sigh, Plagg dove back into Adrien's pocket, and emerged with a piece of Camembert. "I've got it covered. But I want twice the treat when we're down there. It's gonna take a little while, though."

The grin that crossed Adrien's face was distinctly wicked. "I'm sure we can find a way to pass the time. Don't you think, milady?"

"Don't get cheeky," Marinette replied with a smile of her own, but she let him draw her in for another kiss.

This was the best date anyone had ever had.


	6. Chapter 6

"Marinette!"

Alya's voice came from behind her, startling Marinette out of her daze. She'd woken up half certain that she'd dreamed the entire date, and only Tikki assuring her that it had all been real kept her from panicking at the thought. Once convinced, she'd spent the rest of the morning all but dancing on air. Turning, Marinette gave her best friend a huge smile, and pulled her into a tight hug the moment Alya was close enough.

Laughing, Alya hugged her back. "I take it things went well. I got worried when you didn't call me after the date was over!"

Oops. Yeah, she probably should have done that. Marinette blushed. "Sorry, it was so late, I didn't want to disturb you. But... yeah. It was _great_. So much better than I ever could have imagined."

"That's fantastic!" Alya clasped Marinette's hands and did a little victory dance on the spot. "I knew you could do it! I want _details_ , girl!"

"Oh, come on," Marinette protested, but she was still grinning. "I didn't ask you for details about exactly what happened between you and Nino in that zoo cage, did I?"

Alya's eyes were wide. "It went _that_ well, huh?"

"It turns out Adrien's kind of had a crush on me, too." That was bending the truth, since it was Cat Noir who'd had the crush on Ladybug, but it worked out to the same thing in the end.

"Wow, he hid it well." Alya started walking again, both of them heading through the main school doors. "And you were able to actually talk to him? Or was there not a lot of talking happening?" She winked.

Marinette blushed. "Um. There was talking too." There had been, so much they'd missed the movie, intent on getting to know each other _properly_. There were so many things about Adrien _and_ Cat Noir that Marinette didn't know, and vice versa. "I just... pretended I was Ladybug, and borrowed her confidence," she fudged. Then she grinned. "Turns out Adrien's just a big ol' pussycat inside."

"I heard that!" Adrien called from behind them, making Marinette squeak in surprise.

Habit had her clutching her bag to her chest, hiding half her face behind it as she turned to see Adrien trotting up the stairs, Nino hot on his heels. Both of them were grinning. "You're not wrong, though. Good thing you've got a soft _spot_ for cats, hmm?" Adrien winked at her as he made the secret pun.

Then, to her astonishment, he reached out and caught her hand in his, tugging it firmly off the bag so he could twine their fingers together. Marinette felt like she'd flown off to heaven. Adrien was _holding her hand_.

No, _Cat Noir_ was holding her hand, Marinette reminded herself sternly. Thinking of him that way was still her only hope of getting through the stammering. Thankfully, it worked like a charm. "Don't get cheeky," she chided him yet again. Unfortunately, even she could tell her tone was far too affectionate to be scolding.

Alya was staring at her. "Who are you, and what have you done with Marinette? Not only was that coherent on the first try, you're actually sassing him. It's a miracle."

"Dudes, we should totally go on a double date." Nino had taken Alya's hand as well, and was grinning at all of them. "It'll be a blast."

"Yeah, we should!" Adrien agreed. "My treat. Tonight?"

"Sounds amazing." If Hawkmoth sent another akumatized villain to interrupt them, Alya and Nino would probably assume that Marinette and Adrien had just snuck off to make out. It was the perfect cover.

And if Hawkmoth _didn't_ send a villain, well, maybe they could actually sneak off to make out. Marinette took a step closer to Adrien, so she was cuddled up to his side. He squeezed her hand in response, and stroked his thumb over her knuckles.

From her purse, Marinette heard the soft sound of Tikki's giggles, accompanied by muffled chuckling from Plagg in Adrien's pocket. The kwami seemed to be highly satisfied with the current state of affairs.

Well, so was Marinette. She couldn't imagine life getting any better than this.


End file.
